carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij 

1

: the flesh of slain animals or humans

… a multitude of dogs came to feast on the carnage.

—T. B. Macaulay

2

: great and usually bloody slaughter or injury (as in battle)

the carnage of war

Synonyms of carnage

• massacre
• slaughter

Examples of carnage in a Sentence

Reporters described the highway accident as a scene of carnage.

the appalling carnage in that war-torn country requires that the outside world intervene

Recent Examples on the Web

The biggest market story of the day has been the carnage in software. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026

Activists offer new death toll While the protests have been halted for weeks after the crackdown, information trickling out of Iran via Starlink satellite dishes is reaching activists, who have been trying to tally the carnage. —Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026

Yet some pockets escaped the carnage. —Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

The camera knows when to linger and when to cut away when showing the carnage and loss of life. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Medieval Latin carnaticum tribute consisting of animals or meat, from Latin carn-, caro — see carnal

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij 

: great destruction of life (as in battle) : slaughter